BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:47 P.M.) – At least 58 people were killed in a horrific gas attack in the Idlib Governorate this morning. However, even before investigations could be conducted and for evidence to emerge, Federica Mogherini, the Italian politician High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, condemned the Syrian government stating that the “Assad regime bears responsibility for ‘awful’ Syria ‘chemical’ attack.”

The immediate accusation from a high ranking EU official serves a dangerous precedent where public outcry can be made even before the truth surrounding the tragedy can emerge

Israeli President, Benjamin Netanyahu, joined in on the condemnation, as did Amnesty International.
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For one, seen in the above picture, the White Helmets are handling the corpses of people without sufficient safety gear, most particularly with the masks mostly used , as well as no gloves. Although this may seem insignificant, understanding the nature of sarin gas that the opposition claim was used, only opens questions.

Within seconds of exposure to sarin, the affects of the gas begins to target the muscle and nervous system. There is an almost immediate release of the bowels and the bladder, and vomiting is induced. When sarin is used in a concentrated area, it has the likelihood of killing thousands of people. Yet, such a dangerous gas, and the White Helmets are treating bodies with little concern to their exposed skin. This has to raise questions.

It also raises the question why a “doctor” in a hospital full of victims of sarin gas has the time to tweet and make video calls. This will probably be dismissed and forgotten however.

It is known that about 250 people from Majdal and Khattab were kidnapped by Al-Qaeda terrorists last week. Local sources have claimed that many of those dead from the chemical weapons were those from Majdal and Khattab.ALSO READ Jihadist rebels claim over 400 Syrian Army soldiers killed in last two months

This would suggest that on the eve of upcoming peace negotiations, terrorist forces have once again created a false flag scenario. This bares resemblance to the Ghouta chemical weapons attack in 2013 where the Syrian Army was accused of using the weapons of mass destruction on the day that United Nations Weapon’s Inspectors arrived in Damascus.

Later, in a separate chemical weapon usage allegation, Carla del Ponte, a UN weapons inspector said that there was no evidence that the government had committed the atrocity. This had however not stopped the calls for intervention against the Syrian government, a hope that the militant forces wished to eventuate from their use of chemical weapons against civilians in Khan-al-Assal.

Therefore, it is completely unsurprising that Orient TV has already prepared a “media campaign” to cover the Russian and Syrian airstrikes in Hama countryside against terrorist forces, with the allegations that the airforces have been using chemical weapons. And most telling, there announcement of covering the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, hours before this allegation even emerged…….. Seems like someone forgot to tell him that it would not occur for a few more hours before his tweet.

Meanwhile, pick up trucks have been photographed around bodies of those killed. Again, it must be questioned why there are people around sarin gas without any protective gear, and not affected at all when it can begin attacking the body within seconds? Also, the pick up trucks remain consistent to what local sources have said that many of those dead were kidnapped by Al-Qaeda terrorists from pro-government towns in rural Hama.ALSO READ In pictures: ISIS drones drop bombs on Kurdish boats crossing the Euphrates River

Also, what is brought into question is where the location of the hose is coming from in the below picture, a dugout carved into the rock. This also suggests that the location is at a White Helmets base where there are dug out hiding spots carved into the mountainside and where they have easy access to equipment, as highlighted by Twitter user Ian Grant.

In response to the allegations, the Syrian Arab Army soldiers in northern Hama denied the use of chemicals weapons today. This is consistent with the Russian Ministry of Defense who denied any involvement in the attack.

The army “has not and does not use them, not in the past and not in the future, because it does not have them in the first place,” a military source said.

And this of course begs the question. With the Syrian Army and its allies in a comfortable position in Syria, making advances across the country, and recovering lost points in rural Hama, why would they now resort to using chemical weapons? It is a very simple question with no clear answer. It defies any logic that on the eve of a Syria conference in Brussels and a week before peace negotiations are to resume, that the Syrian government would blatantly use chemical weapons. All evidence suggests this is another false chemical attack allegation made against the government as seen in the Khan-al-Assal 2013 attack where the terrorist groups hoped that former President Obama’s “red-line” would be crossed leading to US-intervention in Syria against the government.

Most telling however, is that most recent report shows that the government does not deny striking Khan Sheikhun. Al-Masdar’s Yusha Yuseef was informed by the Syrian Army that the air force targeted a missile factory in Khan Sheikoun, using Russian-manufactured Su-22 fighter jet to carry out the attack. Most importantly, the Su-22’s bombs are unique and cannot be filled with any chemical substances, which is different than bombs dropped from attack helicopters. Yuseef was then told that the Syrian Air Force did not know there were any chemical substances inside the missile factory in Khan Sheikhoun. It remains to be known whether there actually were chemicals in the missile factory targeted by the airstrikes, or whether the terrorist forces used gas on the kidnapped civilians from the pro-government towns and brought them in the lorry trucks to the site of the airstrikes. Whether they were gassed by the militant forces, or the airstrikes caused a chemical weapon factory to explode, the gruesome deaths of children, seen foaming in the mouth because of the gas, lays in the hands of the terrorists.ALSO READ Jihadists attack Russian embassy in Damascus

"Syria committed to CWC arms control treaty"by presstv_________________--
'Suppression of truth, human spirit and the holy chord of justice never works long-term. Something the suppressors never get.' David Southwell
http://aangirfan.blogspot.comhttp://aanirfan.blogspot.com
Martin Van Creveld: Let me quote General Moshe Dayan: "Israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother."
Martin Van Creveld: I'll quote Henry Kissinger: "In campaigns like this the antiterror forces lose, because they don't win, and the rebels win by not losing."

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TWISTED online trolls are claiming the horrific Syria gas massacre was a ‘false flag’ operation carried out by a shadow government.

The chemical weapons assault hit rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in northwestern Syria on Tuesday, killing more than 70 civilians including children and babies.

One of the dozens of victims of the suspected chemical attack in northern Syria pictured wearing an oxygen mask to help her breath AP:ASSOCIATED PRESS
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One of the dozens of victims of the suspected chemical attack in northern Syria pictured wearing an oxygen mask to help her breath
Writer and conspiracy theorist Paul Joseph Watson is one of the social media users claiming the attack was a false flag operation
4
Writer and conspiracy theorist Paul Joseph Watson is one of the social media users claiming the attack was a false flag operation

While the international community, including President Donald Trump, has condemned President Assad over the depraved attack – conspiracy nuts claim the atrocity was orchestrated by the ‘deep state’.

The term ‘false flag’ refers to a covert operation usually orchestrated by a government designed to appear as if it was carried out by another group or country.

British far-right conspiracy theorist Paul Joseph Watson is one of the ‘truthers’ peddling the vile claims online.

He believes the so-called ‘deep state’ or shadow government wants to trick President Trump into invading Syria to force regime change.

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Tweeting directly at Trump, Watson wrote: “Dear @realDonaldTrump – you are being manipulated by the same scam they pulled in 2013. No regime change in Syria.”

American documentary filmmaker Mike Cernovich also tweeted at the former Apprentice host warning him about the crackpot theory.

He posted: “President @realDonaldTrump, we will not support a war with Syria. You are being played by war mongers.”

Filmmaker Mike Cernovich is another who believes the gas attack was carried out to contrive regime change in Syria
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Filmmaker Mike Cernovich is another who believes the gas attack was carried out to contrive regime change in Syria
A Syrian father holds his two dead twin babies killed in the depraved gas attack
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A Syrian father holds his two dead twin babies killed in the depraved gas attack

h
World shock as scores killed in suspected chemical gas attack in Idlib, Syria
Some users also retweeted a post allegedly from an anti-Assad reporter which mistakenly referred to the chemical weapons attack the day before it happened.

The post reads: “Tomorrow we are launching a media campaign to cover the airstrikes on Hama country side including the usage of CW.”

In a reply to one of Watson’s post, a Twitter user appears to stick up for President Assad who is suspected of carrying out another chemical attack in 2013.

The user wrote: “Let Russia help Assad to end the terrorists. Assad is not to blame here. He got framed by the media for a long time...”

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Shocking video shows aftermath footage of suspected chemical gas attack in Idlib, Syria
Former Presidential hopeful Ron Paul also said there was “zero chance” Assad would have carried out the attack deliberately.

Speaking on his YouTube show ‘The Liberty Report’, far-right politician Paul said he believed the atrocity in Syria was carried out to force regime change in the country.

He said: "It makes no sense, even if you were totally separate from this and take no sides of this and you were just an analyst, it doesn’t make sense for Assad under these conditions to all of the sudden use poison gasses.

“I think it’s zero chance that he would have done this deliberately.”

h
Ex presidential hopeful Ron Paul suggests Syria gas attack was a false flag
Richard Spencer, the so-called leader of the Alt-Right movement on the fringes of US politics, has also retweeted posts which claim anti-Assad reporters knew about the attack beforehand.

He also tweeted out his own video blog which poses the question: "Will Trump Gas His Presidency Over Syria?"

Spencer, who has been branded a white supremacist by his critics, also retweeted a post which supported the theory that Assad was not behind the atrocity.

The post read: "Assad whatever else he might be is smart enough to be a MD,why would he do the ONE thing guaranteed to get him in trouble with the Empire?"

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1LIKEREPLY
Bella
Bella 1 hour ago
Assad is the only one who can get away with it because he is the only one who is already stuffed. He will never set foot outside the country again, either his own will kill him or he will be arrested the second he tries to go anywhere. He hasn't become a good guy over night and irrespective of what games those in the West are playing, Assad is a monster who needs to be taken out. And I do get irritated by those saying the West is up to its old tricks, if the millions of Syrian deserters went home and sorted him out the West would have no place setting foot in the country. Go home and do your duty!

LIKEREPLY
Cynthia Warren
Cynthia Warren 1 hour ago
Where's the proof that this was done by Assad? Any journalists worth their salt would be asking who's going to benefit from this action? It's definitely not Assad so instead of calling names why not do your job, Mark Hodge?

3LIKEREPLY
Rebecca Rose
Rebecca Rose 4 hours ago
Where is the evidence of who caused this ? where ?. Assad is winning the war, regardless of what you think of him, he has allies, his enemies in the west US/UK start saying maybe Assad will have to stay in charge of Syria and then 1 day later I am supposed to believe he drops chemicals on Syrians ? It doesn't make sense. Is assad a dictator-yes, are the "rebels" rebels-no they are jihadists, are the White Helmets a charity-no they are jihadists. The first casualty of war is always the truth, propaganda is being pumped out. WMD-we were sold that lie once to force the west into a war the public didn't want. They are trying it again. Saudi, Qatar, Uk, US Cia MI6, Big Corps, Arms companies, Big Banks: all trying to control the narrative. The first casualty of war is the truth, the second and biggest casualty is always always ordinary people. The winners are always the warmongers who will never be under any threat of being killed. The public in any country are just cannon fodder to them. Facts please not emotive pictures, true or not, they no longer work.

5LIKEREPLY
Danny AKIM
Danny AKIM 4 hours ago
You need to look at this carefully before jumping to conclusions, why would Assad after all this time decide to use chemical weapons when he knows only to well what the outcry would be from around the world. as there has been very little said about Assad and the rebels over the past couple of months on the media grapevine why would he be looking for headlines like these, until they or some independent body can 100% prove the gas was done by the Assad air force, maybe just maybe there is something more sinister to this.

6LIKEREPLY
Paul Watson
Paul Watson 4 hours ago
"Sick trolls" dare to question narrative having been lied to about every single war in the Middle East ever.

Questioning the media on war propaganda about "weapons of mass destruction" is crazy. What kind of sick conspiracy theorist would doubt them? Ahem....Iraq.

The Sun is a joke._________________--
'Suppression of truth, human spirit and the holy chord of justice never works long-term. Something the suppressors never get.' David Southwell
http://aangirfan.blogspot.comhttp://aanirfan.blogspot.com
Martin Van Creveld: Let me quote General Moshe Dayan: "Israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother."
Martin Van Creveld: I'll quote Henry Kissinger: "In campaigns like this the antiterror forces lose, because they don't win, and the rebels win by not losing."

Scott Bennett: "Syria's future and the role of Assad will be determined by the Syrian people", Trump said. Really? So is Trump a liar and hypocrite, or a fool and a puppet? Either way, these disqualify a person from being President of the United States. However, if we give Trump the benefit of the doubt, he's been fed lies and bad information by liars and bad people around him. But he is responsible for allowing them there in the first place. He hired them, not vice versa.

Additionally, the basic lesson of foreign policy and war is this: "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Therefore since ISIS was declared the enemy of the American people, then everyone fighting ISIS was naturally a "friend" of the American people. Sadly, Trump has said the opposite: by attacking Assad and Syria, Trump is attacking the enemy of ISIS, and therefore is proving he is a friend of ISIS, which means he is an enemy of the people of the United State of America. Truth is stranger than fiction.

HOW THE WORLD SHOULD RESPOND:

Russia and Syria should respond with a merciless attack upon ISIS forces, and Iraq should do the same in Mosul. They should completely obliiterate any and all pockets of ISIS, and any other of their allies in the land of Syria. Agents should be activated in Saudi Arabia and clandestine attacks, protests, and regime change disruptions should be executed against Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and disruption of their oil producing facilities initiated. This will turn attention inward, and stop the exporting of terrorism outside of Saudi Arabia. Similar operations should be initiated against Turkey.

Russia-Iran-Syria-China should stand against such a schizophrenic "regime change policy" demonstrated by this bombing, and call for an immediate condemnation of this U.S. action, and also accuse the U.S. of financing and supporting the ISIS terrorists and all of their facilities and weapons using and storing chemical weapons. The chemicals destroyed in Syria should be clearly connected to the U.S. CIA-Mossad-turkish supporters of ISIS.

Finally, This action should be redefined as an attack upon Europe as well, as this inevitably will send thousands of refugees into Europe, and Europeans should be encouraged to condemn this attack by the U.S. on Syria. Additionally, Russia should deploy its anti-missile S-400 systems and military forces into positions that will enable it to block future attacks by US-Israli-NATO forces, and adopt a "no tolerance" policy for any future attacks upon Syria and Russians stationed there. Putin and Assad should demand peacekeepers from the United Nations to come in, and stand next to Syria facilities to provide the shielding needed for defending against future U.S. attacks. Putin should immediately begin communicating to the world that Donald Trump has been lied to by those desperate for war in the American neoconservative establishment, and that he has a choice: become their puppet and betray the American people who elected him to office; or reject the lies and liars feeding him false information and propaganda. The world cannot afford another Libya regime change, and Europe cannot accept more refugees. If Trump doesn't get it, impeach him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=788cBqLK4iQ_________________--
'Suppression of truth, human spirit and the holy chord of justice never works long-term. Something the suppressors never get.' David Southwell
http://aangirfan.blogspot.comhttp://aanirfan.blogspot.com
Martin Van Creveld: Let me quote General Moshe Dayan: "Israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother."
Martin Van Creveld: I'll quote Henry Kissinger: "In campaigns like this the antiterror forces lose, because they don't win, and the rebels win by not losing."

There are so many problems with the propaganda campaign against Assad getting unrolled now.

partisangirl-fake-sarin(1) You can’t treat exposure to sarin with your bare hands without falling ill/dead yourself, as the White Helmets were apparently doing in the aftermath of the Idlib attack.

(2) As Syrian war reporter @Partisangirl noticed, some journalists were apparently discussing a chlorine sarin attack before it actually happened.

(3) It is eerily reminescent of the aftermath of the 2013 Gouta attacks, in which the Western media and neocon and neocon-in-all-but-name politicians and punditry parroted the official line that Assad’s troops were responsible even though consequent journalistic work by Sermour Hersh and MIT raised serious doubts over the veracity of that allegation.

(4) The “moderate rebels” have themselves resorted to poison gas on various occasions.

(5) Unlike in 2013, Assad is now winning. Why on Earth now, of all times, would he resort to poison gas – one of the few things he can do to that is capable of provoking a strong Western reaction – just to kill all of 75 civilians?

this-makes-sense

It just makes no sense.

So one can’t help but treat Nikky Haley’s melodramatic performance at the UN with skepticism. The idea that the poisoning was due to a bomb hitting a chemical weapons manufactory seems more plausible.

Trump’s initial non-interventionist rhetoric on assuming the Presidency was encouraging, as was his promotion of other anti-war figures such as Tulsi Gabbard. However, the latest response of the US administration, including Trump himself, is not giving any cause for optimism:

I will tell you that attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me, big impact. That was a horrible, horrible thing. And I’ve been watching it, and seeing it, and it doesn’t get any worse than that… And I will tell you it’s already happened, that my attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much.

UK-trained doctor hailed a hero for treating gas attack victims in Syria stood trial on terror offences ‘and belonged to the group that kidnapped British reporter John Cantlie’
Dr Shajul Islam was arrested for kidnapping journalists is back in Syria
The ex-NHS doctor and his brother were released after the case collapsed
He was released as the prosecution's witnesses weren't able to give evidence
He published a video of the patients after the attack which killed 86 on Tuesday
By ANTHONY JOSEPH and ROBERT VERKAIK FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 01:36, 7 April 2017 | UPDATED: 01:51, 7 April 2017
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4388780/Doctor-Syria-stood-tri al-terror-offences.html

A UK-trained doctor, who was hailed a hero for treating gas attack victims in Syria, stood trial on terror offences and allegedly belonged to the group that kidnapped British journalist John Cantlie.

At least 86 people, including 20 children, died in Tuesday's attack on a rebel-held town in Idlib province. Dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

Dr Shajul Islam, from East London, published a video of the patients on his Twitter account after the attack. He said his hospital took care of three victims all with narrow, pinpoint pupils that did not respond to light.

The University of London graduate was arrested and charged with kidnapping two journalists - Mr Cantlie and Dutch reporter Jeroen Oerlemans - in 2012 but was released after the trial collapsed when neither of the prosecution's witnesses were able to give evidence.

Dr Islam, worked as a doctor at St Bart's hospital, is currently removed from the medical register after a fitness to practise hearing at the General Medical Council in March

A medical doctor going by the name of Dr. Shajul Islam on Twitter said his hospital in Idlib province received three victims, all with narrow, pinpoint pupils that did not respond to light

Dr Islam was accused of kidnapping Western journalists in Syria in 2012, but was cleared when the case collapsed

Dr Islam (pictured in a court sketch from 2012) stood trial on terror offences and allegedly belonged to the group that kidnapped British journalist John Cantlie

The University of London graduate was arrested and charged with kidnapping two journalists - Mr Cantlie (pictured) and Dutch reporter Jeroen Oerlemans - in 2012 but was released after the trial collapsed when neither of the prosecution's witnesses were able to give evidence

He has always protested his innocence, saying he went to Syria to use his medical skills to treat victims of the civil war.

Dr Islam, worked as a doctor at St Bart's hospital, is currently removed from the medical register after a fitness to practise hearing at the General Medical Council in March.

After the criminal case against him collapsed, and he was found not guilty, he faced close monitoring by the security services.

According to a GMC report, a secret tribunal panel heard the disciplinary case against Dr Islam in March this year and banned him for misconduct. The hearing was held in private so the details of the misconduct are not publicly known.

At the time of his 2012 prosecution Dr Islam, then 28, and a second man, Jubayer Chowdhury, then 24, were the only alleged British jihadists charged with kidnapping Westerners in Syria.

The pair — held in high security Belmarsh prison — walked free from court after all charges were dropped.

Cleared: The prosecution was forced to fold when their two key witnesses were unable to give evidence

At the start of the hearing in November 2013, prosecutor Mark Dennis QC told the court that all evidence against the brothers rested on the two victims, who were unable to be called, and therefore could not proceed with the case.

A verdict of not guilty was recorded for the charge of kidnapping.

Media reports later suggested Islam may have held the key to the then unknown identity of Jihadi John, who was later unmasked as Mohammed Emwazi.

In his YouTube video of the toxic attack on Tuesday, Dr Islam said: 'The patients keep just flooding in from this chemical attack,' he says in a Twitter video , purportedly taken inside a Syrian hospital this morning. 'Every one - every one - has got pinpoint pupils'.

'The patients keep coming, we've run out of ventilators,' the humanitarian aid added.

'We don't have enough ventilator space, so we're now taking out the transport ventilators we have in our ambulances and we're going to try to modify them to see if we can use them for our patients.'

Dr Islam said that it was 'definitely not a chlorine attack', suggesting that the more severe sarin was used.

Footage from his hospital shows adults and children lying on hospital beds unresponsive, as medics work to save their lives.

'I will show you the evidence again and again, but you know what? The world doesn't care and no-one is doing anything,' says Dr Islam.

'We urge you to put pressure on your government - put pressure on anyone - to help us.'

Dr Islam said that his hospital in Hama, which is a short drive away from Khan Sheikhoun, received several victims of a suspected sarin attack

Dr Islam said that it was 'definitely not a chlorine attack', suggesting that the more severe sarin was used. Footage from his hospital shows adults and children lying on hospital beds unresponsive, as medics work to save their lives.

Doctors at the facility were using basic equipment, and attempting to revive patients who were not breathing following the attack

Dr Islam, who trained in the UK and now works in northern Syria, said that seriously ill patients were still 'flooding' into his hospital

An AFP journalist in Khan Sheikhun saw a young girl, a woman and two elderly people dead at a hospital, with foam still visible around their mouths.

Doctors at the facility were using basic equipment, some not even wearing lab coats, and attempting to revive patients who were not breathing.

A father carried his dead little girl, her lips blueish and her dark curls visible, wrapped in a blue sheet.

As doctors worked, a warplane circled overhead, striking first near the facility and then hitting it twice, bringing rubble down on medics and patients.

In a video posted online by Idlib's local medical directorate, a doctor described patient symptoms as he treated a child.

In the case of the April 4 chemical-weapons incident in the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which reportedly killed scores of people including young children, I was told that initially the U.S. analysts couldn’t see any warplanes over the area in Idlib province at the suspected time of the poison gas attack but later they detected a drone that they thought might have delivered the bomb.

A Drone Mystery

According to a source, the analysts struggled to identify whose drone it was and where it originated. Despite some technical difficulties in tracing its flight path, analysts eventually came to believe that the flight was launched in Jordan from a Saudi-Israeli special operations base for supporting Syrian rebels, the source said, adding that the suspected reason for the poison gas was to create an incident that would reverse the Trump administration’s announcement in late March that it was no longer seeking the removal of President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian Foreign Minister Slams OPCW For Failure To Investigate Syrian Chemical Attack
Two months after the alleged chemical attack in Syria, OPCW inspectors show no hurry inspecting the scene of the attack or the location from which attack was allegedly launched.
By Alexander Mercouris | May 26, 2017
https://www.mintpressnews.com/228211-2/228211/

Two months after the alleged chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun in Syria and the US cruise missile strike on Al-Shayrat air base from where the alleged chemical attack was allegedly launched, the OPCW investigators charged with investigating the alleged chemical attack have failed to inspect either location.

This has provoked an angry and exasperated statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry yesterday, highlighting especially the failure of the OPCW inspectors to inspect Al-Shayrat air base, the location from which the chemical attempt was allegedly launched

All the conditions have been created there in terms of security and compliance with obligations under the Convention. The Syrian government demanded an urgent visit, thus reaffirming the preparedness to fulfill its obligations that arise from Clause 12 of the OPCW mission mandate and from the provisions specified in Clause 15 of Part IX of the Chemical Weapons Convention appendix on inspections. These documents state in clear terms that an (OPCW) inspection group has the right of access to any and all areas that might have been affected by the employment of chemical weapons. This means all the conditions have been created there (at Shayrat) in terms of security and compliance with obligations under the Convention. Standing in a sharp contrast to it is the inaction of the (OPCW/UN) Joint Mechanism and the detached position of the OPCW leadership that believes a trip to Shayrat is outside of the sphere of competence of the OPCW Mission.

I discussed the obvious lack of enthusiasm of the OPCW inspectors to inspect either location in an article I wrote for The Duran on 21st April 2017. I pointed out in that article that though there might be safety concerns preventing the OPCW inspectors from inspecting the location of the alleged attack at Khan Sheikhoun – which is under Jihadi control – the same was certainly not true of Al-Shayrat air base, which was from where the chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun was allegedly launched.

I said that the failure of the OPCW inspectors to inspect either location meant that the investigation of the Khan Sheikhoun attack had effectively collapsed even before it started.

Needless to say, it is a basic principle of any criminal investigation – which is what this investigation essentially is – that the investigators inspect the crime scene and any other locations related to it. The fact that the inspectors, in this case, have not even attempted to discharge this basic task shows that they are not really interested in carrying out an investigation at all.

This is the inevitable consequence of the President of the United States and of Western governments making a pronouncement of the Syrian government’s guilt before any investigation of the Khan Sheikhoun incident had taken place. That inevitably was going to prejudice the conduct of the investigation, with the result that we now see.

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